Uninhabited Planets
by magickmoons
Summary: It just figured, too. A nice, quiet uninhabited planet: no Ori, no Lucien operatives, it was supposed to be a walk in the park.


**Uninhabited Planets**

**Genre:** Gen, Hurt/Comfort  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG  
><strong>Characters:<strong> Cam, Vala  
><strong>Prompt:<strong> Cam & Vala Friendship  
><strong>Summary:<strong> It just figured, too. A nice, quiet uninhabited planet: no Ori, no Lucien operatives, it was supposed to be a walk in the park.  
><strong>Notes:<strong> Set in Season 10. Written for Friendship Alphabet Soup

* * *

><p><strong>Uninhabited Planets<strong>

Pain pulled Cam back to consciousness, and he kind of wished it hadn't. As far as he could tell, there wasn't any part of him that didn't hurt to some degree, ranging from an annoying twinge to agony. As agony seemed to center around his lower back and down his left leg, he decided to focus on something else.

He tried to look around, but had to stop almost immediately when his neck went from 'Ow' to 'On Fire.' He could see enough to know that he wasn't in the SGC infirmary, or any type of medical facility. Dark, jagged stone formed the walls and ceiling around him. The only light seemed to be daylight coming from somewhere on his right.

"Wha happ'n'd?"

Light footsteps brought Vala into his line of sight, and she crouched down beside him with a neutral expression that didn't quite cover the worry.

"You were caught in a rockslide. It was fairly impressive, really. Even more so that you survived. Once I found you, I pulled you into this lovely cave."

He grunted. "Not s'posed to..."

"Move you, I know. But I thought that you might prefer not to buried under a pile of rubble while waiting for certified medical professionals," she retorted defensively.

As if to emphasize her point, Cam could hear the sound of debris rolling somewhere outside. Scattered memories flashed through his mind: the flash of panic as he felt the ground give way beneath him, rocks hurling themselves against his body, dirt and dust clogging his nose and throat till he thought couldn't breathe.

"No, you did good. S'better in here." He heard the slurring in his own voice and wondered how many of those rocks had found his head. "The others?" he asked. The team had split up after arrival, trying to maximize the chances of finding any trace of the civilization that may have once lived here.

Vala shook her head. "Your radio was shattered. And I seem to have lost mine somehow while getting you in here."

Well, that was bad. That meant they had to wait until they missed their scheduled check-in for the others to alert the SGC that they needed help. A couple of hours at best. It just figured, too. A nice, quiet uninhabited planet: no Ori, no Lucien operatives, it was supposed to be a walk in the park. No need for frequent check-ins.

Or full medkits, he thought as Vala handed him a couple of acetaminophen and a canteen. He swallowed the pills and closed his eyes.

"All right," he said aloud. "They'll sound the alarm as soon as we miss check-in. Someone will be here before you know it."

Time passed slowly. His headache and the lump he could feel on his skull told Cam that it wasn't a great idea to fall asleep. And despite the slight help from the meds, the pain was doing its part to keep him awake. Unfortunately, awake just meant he had more time to remember endless months in a hospital bed, watching life through windows and television. He really didn't know if he had it in him to do that again.

Vala had taken up a position at the small opening of the cavern and stood there, still as a statue.

"Stop standing there. I feel like I'm under guard," Cam finally grumbled. Vala's profile was outlined sharply against the daylight as she turned her head back toward him.

"Someone has to keep watch."

"It's an uninhabited planet, Vala. Just... here. Take a load off." He clumsily patted the ground next to him.

She sat beside him, radiating nervous energy. Cam knew that Vala hated feeling confined, helpless.

"They'll come for us, right?" Vala looked back out of the cave.

"Yeah, Vala. They'll be here."

"Well, they'll come for you certainly. They _like_ you."

Cam groped around till he found her hand and squeezed it. "They are coming for both of us," he said as firmly as he was able.

She was silent for a second, then tossed her hair and smiled. "Well, of course they are."

Cam tried to smile back, to reassure her, but everything hurt, dammit, and he was having trouble making it look real.

Vala tilted her head, looking at him intently. Cam felt a bit like a deer in headlights.

"How badly does it hurt?" she asked.

"Enough," he answered shortly.

She considered his answer, then said, with certainty, "You're scared. You're scared of it being like Antarctica again."

He hadn't told her about his injuries in the battle against Anubis, and injuries of that magnitude were not the stuff of casual gossip around a base like the SGC.

"I looked up your file," she offered by way of explanation. "Everyone's, actually. I was bored one night and the Tau'ri computer systems are so much easier to break into than others I've encountered." She looked smug for a minute, then turned serious.

"It won't happen again you know. Because this time you have me. And as soon we get back to Earth, I can use the healing device on you. Or maybe sooner if someone has the sense to send it with the rescue team.

"You will be fine, Cameron."

And he actually believed her. That she would and she could. Because here she was sitting in a dark cave, keeping him company when she really could have walked out at any time. And probably would have, a year ago.

His smile this time was small, but genuine.

"I'm glad you're here, Vala," he said. "Really glad."

She squeezed his hand tightly and settled back against the wall to wait with him. "I know."

~ends~


End file.
